WILMINGTON -- You may have seen police officers patrolling the streets on Segways in downtown Wilmington. But you may start seeing more than just police riding the transporters soon.
That's because the first Segway store in North Carolina opened this weekend in downtown Wilmington.
A Segway can cost between $5,000 and $6,000 and can travel up to 24 miles on a single charge with a top speed of about 12 miles an hour.
But the manufacturer recommends using it for short trips.
The owner of the new store says Segways can be used for more than just patrolling the streets.
Cape Fear Segway owner Richard Hays said, "It's great for personal transportation. It's got a range of 24 miles, so anyone that works within that range can easily get to and from work."
Segways are also made to travel on different types of terrain like beach and wooded trails.
The transporters, though, are not made to take curbs or be ridden up or down stairs.
Cape Fear Segway
106 N. Water Street #108
Wilmington NC 28401
Phone: 910-251-2572
Stone Age to Hybrids
I must admit my interest at the back and forth comments posted. It reminds me of what must have transpired when electric lights were considered over gas lanterns or horseless carriages over wagons. Some things never change nor do the people that fail to see change as positive. Segways are just one of the first lines of change in the way we transport ourselves as pedestrians and they won't be the last. Like a gun, Segways are a product of the rider and they way they are used. As for me and my wife, we ordered 2 Segways from Cape Fear Segway as we found it a way we can sightsee, be together with a common hobby and see more of Wilmington that we have ever seen on our many trips. Thanks Segway and Richard Hays for keeping noise, smoke and large vehicles our of historic Wilmington!!
Sightseeing as a hobby
What's wrong with walking while holding hands if you want some intimate outings? Why would you forgo the added benefit of aerobic and anaerobic exercise walking can provide while adding nearly nothing to your green house gas footprint? I can see that the Segway may have some usefulness to those people who work and live in the downtown area for commuting to work. So many days in our beautiful city are hot and steamy and walking would leave you drenched. What do you do with the Segway once you get to your destination? Are you going to leave it parked on the sidewalk impeding the travel of others? Are we going to have Segway corrals? Couldn't it be easily stolen? Bikes, skateboards, skates and, scooters aren't allowed by law on the sidewalks. I don't feel that Segways should be either. What makes a person who can afford a Segway more deserving or more priviledged than the person who can afford a skateboard? By the way, once you get on a mechanical means of conveyance you no longer can claim designation as a pedestrian. That is reserved for people who are walking.
You and your wife....
...could have purchased two good bikes for less than the cost of one Segway, done everything you are now doing on the Segways, and extended your life by years from the resultant cardiovascular benefits.
I'm glad that you're happy with your purchase, but the question I posed ages ago remains unanswered: What can you do on your Segway that you can't do on a bike or motor-scooter?
Whenever I ask that question, all I receive in reply is, "Oh, but they're technically sophisticated!"
Technical sophistication is a trait, not a benefit. The light bulb didn't win out over gaslight because it was technically sophisticated. It won out because you it was far easier to turn on and extinguish, and most of all because it greatly eliminated the danger of your house or the whole block burning down. Tangible benefits.
The automobile didn't win out over horses because of its technical sophistication, it won out because it didn't have to rest, and eventually went faster and could carry more. It didn't die if you couldn't "feed it" for a month. Tangible benefits.
So tell me....WHAT are the tangible benefits of a Segway over existing forms of one-man transportation?
I am always happy to read
I am always happy to read about something other than crime and other misc. woe, but I cannot for the life of me sort out why Wilmington needed "Segway". I cannot stifle my amusement seeing people on these things..lol.
lazy
Can we find any other ways to make people fatter and lazier than they already are? Wait a minute we already have.
Why is this news?
Why is this news?
Why is this news?
News doesn't always have to center around crime and violence. I'm glad to see something new like this come to the Downtown area.
Because Segways are state of
Because Segways are state of the art technology and unique with nothing for comparison. They are also one of the only electric side walk legal forms of transportation with their own Govt. classification. If you have ever ridden a Segway you wouldn't be asking such a question.
Uh....I can ride my bike at 15 MPH all day long.
Plus, it requires no battery charging and I don't have to worry about looking like an escaped dweeb from some cheesy Seventies sci-fi flick.
Exactly how lazy do you have to be to ride one of these things?
But, do you?
I guess to lazy to walk 9 miles one way to work, for pennies in "fuel" cost. Umm, do you ride your bike to work?
You can't legally ride a
You can't legally ride a bike on most sidewalks! A Bike also doesn't even come close to the Segway in it's ability to intermix with
or maneuver around pedestrians. They both have their uses in society. But to compare a bicycle to something as incredibly sophisticated as a Segway is ridiculous.
Wait until the first pedestrian gets flattened
No vehicle, bike or Segway, moving at 12 MPH should be trying to maneuver around walkers on sidewalks. Two people simply walking in opposite directions will sometimes barely avoid walking into each other. Now place one of them on a heavy machine moving at 12 MPH. In short order, someone is going down...hard. Are Segway owners going to carry liability insurance?
"Incredibly sophisticated" isn't very much of a marketing tool, yet it seems to be the first weapon Segway supporters reach for. "Incredibly sophisticated" doesn't translate into "practical" or "better" than existing transportation choices. It can easily translate into difficulty in finding qualified, affordable repair facilities when something goes wrong. Remember, 8-Track tape players and BetaMax VCRs were "incredibly sophisticated" also. Necessity is the mother of invention, not simply a desire for technical sophistication. What can a Segway do better, or that no other product or service can offer? Not much....
My mountain bike cost me $145. Get back to me when Segways can match that price. It's also rather odd that while touting a twenty-four mile range, "...the manufacturer recommends that they be used for short trips." Why? If it has a twenty-four mile operating range, I should be able to ride twelve miles to work and twelve miles home, every day. Why only recommended for short trips? Do they have a problem with heat buildup or battery longevity due to deep discharging on longer trips?
Throwing in the initial whopper of a cost, "pennies a day" for battery charging that add up to dollars a week, and maintenance costs (batteries don't last forever). Folks should realize that if a bicycle is impractical for them, $5000 will buy a LOT of bus tickets.
Segways on sidewalks
San Francisco has already banned Segways from sidewalks. So has Great Britain and The Netherlands, which have also banned them from streets and roads. Other nations have also banned them from sidewalks, and Italy has restricted their sidewalk speed to 4 MPH - barely faster than normal walking speed.
Were it not for the extensive lobbying campaign that the company launched, many other states and cities would have barred their use on sidewalks as a matter of common sense. That will change over time assuming that their use becomes commonplace, for if that happens, Segway-pedestrian collisions are also going to become commonplace.
I have no heartburn with Segways themselves, but keep them in the road where all motorized vehicles belong.
Wake up and smell technology.
I find it interesting that you state "Remember, 8-Track tape players and BetaMax VCRs were "incredibly sophisticated" also." and then attack the use of a Segway, yet I am sure you use CD's and DVD's. Just because Segway made something you don't yet understand doesn't mean it's bad.
Without utilization of a new technology no-one will know the impact or develope technology into something that will be truely revolutionary.
I agree the initial price shock isn't really a better alternative to the bike, but what about gas prices? At the rate we are going it may be more efficient to buy a Segway now and save money at the pump in the long run. This is especially true if you only drive 10 miles to work and back. City miles are far less fuel effieient then highway miles.
I suggest people like you have more of an open mind and come out of the 60's. Life is moving faster and technology is passing you by... It's a surprise you can even figure out this forum.
If someone runs over me on
If someone runs over me on the sidewalk or hits me while I'm walking,with one of these THINGS, they better be able to do more than 12 miles an hour.Seriously, Peolple are going to get sued.
Thanks for the same ol' reply
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it! For the umpteenth time, we hear you - the Segway is technically sophisticated. It's amazing that that's the only selling point Segway fans can come up with. Read through the posts - you're like a bunch of parrots. "SQUWAAAAAK! It's technically sophisticated. It's technically sophisticated."
Big deal!
As I said earlier, necessity is the mother of invention. Exactly WHAT does the Segway offer except technical sophisticaltion.
Here's what I understand - while it may have some applications in warehousing and travelling around large indutrial sites, its practicality as a mode of transportation for the common man is nil. It offers NOTHING that you can't have with far cheaper alternatives. If you don't have a shower at work and can't ride a bike, buy a Vespa if you're worried about gasoline consumption.
What you need to understand is that I'm an engineer who works on one of the most sophisticated telecommunications systems in the world on a daily basis - so don't be a presumptuous twit.
Another disadvantage of Segways
In this charming southern city with a beutiful downton area to be used for shopping, sight-seeing, etc... by tourists and people of the region, I really hate to see a vehicle used for transportation in the same areas that people are designed to walk. Not the narrowest of vehicles either.
These things take up about the same width of sidewalk as the average cart pushing Mom (with 5 kids and ample hips to prove they are hers) in any isle of Walmart that you would like to go down! I can see it now, a group of people riding Segways side-by-side down a downtown city sidewalk preventing any NORMAL traffic from proceeding at a regular pace.
And then to top it off, I can see it now, cellphone talking distracted Segway riders terrorizing the Wilmington waterfront! Oh my heavens! We will have sidewalk rage for sure! [HeadLine Now]; 'SEGWAY RIDER WITH SHORT FUSE on 3rd Street'
But on a more level note... I thought the Cops on the beat were suppose to be public figures that accomplish their jobs by interacting with the people, not above them like some 'elite' observers. Segway using officers would seem to be counter productive to getting the job done in an area as small as downtown Wilmington. Oh please, don't ever let me see an overweight one riding one of those things. I'd puke.
Would you rather hear about
Would you rather hear about murders and robberies?
I'll take this kind of news any day.
yes, yes I would.
yes, yes I would.